THE WARM SHALLOW WATERS OFF FLORIDA\u2019S SOUTH COAST ARE \u201cHOME\u201d TO A \u201cHOMEBODY\u201d \u2026 THE NURSE SHARK.

THESE LARGE FISH ARE BOTTOM-FEEDERS, FORAGING \u2026 USUALLY AT NIGHT, AND CAN APPEAR RATHER SLUGGISH DURING THE DAY!

BUT MOST NURSE SHARKS EAT, SLEEP AND REPRODUCE IN ONE AREA THEIR WHOLE LIVES.

AND THAT CONSISTENCY HAS BROUGHT TWO SCIENTISTS BACK TO THIS SHALLOW COVE FOR MANY YEARS: JEFF CARRIER AND WES PRATT.

(SOT: Jeff Carrier / start at 2:35)

\u201cFirst time we ever saw any of this activity was almost 25 years ago. I couldn\u2019t tell exactly what I was looking at until I discovered that I was looking at two sharks, not one, and that they were mating.

s/ Jeff Carrier / Marine Biologist

JEFF AND WES ARE HERE, CONTINUING THE ONLY LONG TERM STUDY OF SHARK MATING IN THE WILD. THESE TWO SHARK VOYEURS HAVE BEEN UP CLOSE AND VERY PERSONAL WITH THEIR SUBJECTS\u2026

\u2026 THE TEAM GETS THE CLOSE-UPS HERE IN THE LAGOON, BUT WHAT ABOUT THE BIGGER PICTURE?

HOW MUCH MATING OCCURS IN THE PLACES THEY CAN\u2019T OBSERVE, IN THE VAST AREA OUTSIDE THE STUDY SITE? WELL \u2026 THAT\u2019S A JOB FOR CRITTERCAM!

(SOT: Jeff 6:26)

\u201cThis is an animal that lives in deeper water, it\u2019s long-lived. We can\u2019t follow it. We can\u2019t follow it, we don\u2019t have the technology to do that. But Crittercam does.\u201d

NURSE SHARKS MAY BE HOME-BODIES BUT SO FAR, THEY\u2019RE NOT COOPERATING! IT\u2019S BEEN A WEEK AND THE CREW HAS YET TO SEE A MATING EVENT\u2026

(NATS: man shouting \u201ctails up\u201d / after 13:32)

BUT FINALLY, THEY SEE THE SIGNS THEY\u2019VE BEEN LOOKING FOR.

(SOT: Wes 15:01)

\u201cThese female sharks are choosy. They\u2019re picky about which males mate with them. And when the wrong guy shows up, she shoals into water as deep as we\u2019re in now so that he can\u2019t get a hold of her fins, which is a vital first step.\u201d

s/Wes Pratt / US National Marine Fisheries Service

BUT WHEN THE RIGHT MALE SHOWS UP, SHE ALLOWS HIM TO PUSH HER TO SLIGHTLY DEEPER WATER TO MATE.

(SOT: Wes 15:28)

\u201cIf the male can get a hold of that valuable pectoral fin \u2013 \u2018cause they don\u2019t have hands \u2013 he can then curve his body around the female and mate with her.\u201d

(SOT: Wes Pratt ~ 19:27)

\u201cI want to see mating events, I want to see, and I want to see, I\u2019d love to see him travel around in here and continue on his way and if and when he goes outside to prove that hypothesis of deep water mating.\u201d

MINUTES LATER, THE MALE SHARK HAS FOUND A FEMALE AND BEGINS THE PURSIUT\u2026 SHE MOVES QUICKLY OUT OF THE AREA THAT WES AND JEFF CAN STUDY\u2026 THEN SHE STOPS AND WAITS \u2013 SO DOES THE MALE.

THEN HE MAKES HIS MOVE\u2026 BITING HER FIN. THE FEMALE ARCHES HER BACK AND A WRESTLING MATCH BEGINS. THE MALE MAKES A TOTAL OF THREE ATTEMPTS TO MATE WITH HER, BUT HE\u2019S UNSUCCESSFUL.

(22:13)

NOW WHAT? THE MALE MOVES INTO DEEPER WATER \u2013 ALONE! HE STOPS \u2013 AND SEEMS TO BE RESTING.

(SOT: Wes / ~ 22:45)

\u201cCrittercam has shown us that for the males, maybe the deep water is the refuge\u2014and it\u2019s turning our thinking around and maybe even upside down.\u201d

(Wes and jeff on beach / walking toward tower 22:58)

WES AND JEFF WILL BE BACK TO THESE WATERS AGAIN NEXT YEAR\u2026 TO DISCOVER MORE SECRETS ABOUT THIS REGAL SHARK.